against terrorism around the world and secures the global commons to keep them safe for the trade and commerce vital to lifting people from poverty. while the war is iraq is over, nearly 70,000 american troops will still remain in afghanistan at the end of the month. our goal should be to complete a successful transition to afghan security forces by the end of 2014. we should evaluate conditions on the solicit the best advice of our commanders. we can agree that they deserve a clear mission and resolute resources they need to complete that mission and they deserve a country that will provide for their needs when they come home. [ applause ] of course, the return of our troops cannot and must not be used as an excuse to hollow out our military through devastating defense budget cuts. it is true that our armed forces have been stretched to the brink, and that's all the more reason to repair and rebuild. we can always find places to end waste, but we can't cancel program after program. we cannot jeopardize critical missions and cut corners in the quality of the equipment and training we provide t